Leveraging Hydropower for Peace

Aug 24, 2022 | Emilie Broek and Kyungmee Kim
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Hydropower is the largest source of low-carbon electricity in the world today. And its benefits are needed more than ever.  Yet the heavy social and environmental costs of hydropower projects have also earned it some fierce detractors. Downstream communities, in particular, have discovered that dams can reduce the quantity and quality of water available and degrade fisheries, negatively impacting livelihoods and food security. Dams constructed in one country can impact local communities in another. Transboundary dams also intertwine with regional dynamics to escalate cross-border tensions. 

But these conflicts can be avoided if countries include mitigation strategies to tackle associated social and environmental consequences, including risks to peace and security, in their project planning. Sustainable hydropower can even become a source of peace. For instance, in the right settings, hydropower dams can help conflicted-affected societies meet their populations’ needs for electricity and water when infrastructure has been damaged during conflict.